Because That's What Brothers Do
by Yours truly - Pride
Summary: Natsu is destined to destroy the world. Gray is destined to stop him. How will they work this out? NOT YAOI. Purely about nakamaship and brotherhood between the two rivals. ONESHOT. Do read and review.


**Pride: When I read the latest chapter of FT (Chapter 394) I felt like I was seeing a replay of Naruto and Sasuke. As much as I hate Naruto, I like the nakamaship implied between him and Sasuke. This story is not yaoi, merely about brotherly bonds between Natsu and Gray. **

**Before I go on any further, I'd like to thank Pixie, AntiNalu and NxE-Forever, for leaving such nice reviews. They're such awesome people too! Oh and AntiNalu, I do keep stumbling into good stories frequently, and when I do – Oh, look! It's an author within my inner circles! Cool story bro? That's because my inner circles include the best of authors. **

* * *

Narrator's Perspective

'Thoughts'

_"_Speech_" _

**"****Attacks/Raised Voices"**

_Settings- Place and Time _

_Memories/ Diary Entries_

* * *

**Because That's What Brothers Do**

A Fairy Tail original fanfiction

* * *

Natsu warily glanced at the dark mage. He placed his hands on his knees and panted hard, while trying to steady his convulsing muscles. The muscles in his arms and legs were atrophied, yet he had no chance to stop and recover, not now at least. Not when his family, not to mention, the entire world, was in imminent danger.

It didn't help, either, that he had been fighting demons and humans alike, non-stop, for the past six hours. He was already exhausted to begin with, when he entered the demons' headquarters. As though to make things worse, that pesky ice-guy had to freeze him and chain him. After he managed to get away, he had to push himself to take down that fat ugly demon. Flannel? Flammal? Oh, yeah, Franmalth.

While he still kept his guard up, wary of the dark mage who could cause his death at the snap of a finger, Natsu couldn't help but be slightly grateful for the slight break provided by Zeref's arrival. At least now he could catch his breath from all that action.

Although he would never admit it out loud, he actually felt a small shard of trust for the man before him. Even on Tenrou Island, he had only turned his scarf black, and even that was not intentional. In both instances where Natsu had met him, Zeref had only wanted to talk. He only wanted to talk to him, as though to a long-lost brother, or a son. Sometimes, it felt like the dark mage was talking to a pet.

Natsu felt a strange connection to the dangerous presence before him. Whenever his mind screamed at him to run for his life, his subconscious told him to stay.

'Stay, this danger is not unlike your own. This fear exuded is not unlike the one you exude. This aura of death is not unlike the one that surrounds you,' said his infallible instincts.

Deciding to relax a little longer and hear Zeref out, Natsu held his silence.

"This guild is composed of the demons I've created. Of course, I didn't create the guild myself. It would seem Master END did that,"

"END? That's the guy Igneel wanted to kill," interrupted the pinkette.

"Or rather, couldn't kill," reaffirmed Zeref.

"Of course. Igneel has always been one of the more soft-hearted dragons despite his tough exterior. Being unable to kill END, who was in the form of an innocent child at that time, he chose to take him in and raise him as his own, in an attempt to erase the dark personality from the child," he explained, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"However, it has always been bound to fail. A person's true nature will always triumph over the way they were nurtured."

"Igneel took in END as his foster son? Doesn't matter! If END is going to be a threat to my nakama and the world, I'll whoop his ass on my old man's behalf!"

'Oh Natsu. How amusing. You'll beat yourself? You'll stop yourself from destroying anything and everything? I'm afraid that's just not possible,' thought the Death Mage with a mildly amused smile on his face.

"You just might be able to pull it off. But…I want you to remember this one thing. Igneel could not kill him. The most powerful of all the demons I've created. Soon, you'll be faced with the same decision? Life or death?"

"Choosing life would mean giving END the freedom to wreak havoc. Choosing death means clipping your own wings, and END's wings, along with it. Which will you choose, Natsu Dragneel? Or perhaps, when the time comes, you would not have the freedom to choose at all…" said the dark mage somberly.

Natsu's eyes lit up in sudden realization as he got a speck of what Zeref knew and was trying to imply.

"These little visits of mine do not seem fair to Tartarus, do they? Especially after all they've done just in order to see me,"

'However, I see nothing wrong with a parent wanting to see his child, or rather, a creator wanting to visit his creation, more often…' he left that thought unspoken.

"I take my leave now..." said Zeref, his body vanishing into a wisp of inky blackness.

"Wait!" yelled Natsu, but to no avail, as the dark mage had already disappeared. The pink-haired mage's questions would have to wait for his creator's next visit.

Zeref's visit had cleared up some of the doubts Natsu had had in his mind, but also stirred up many more, and in the process, triggered an inner conflict in him.

As though to interrupt his rare chain of thoughts, a searing pain ran along the length of Natsu's arm, making him feel as though his flesh was being cleaved open with an axe and seared with a white-hot rod.

He let his body collapse to the cold stone ground, the chill of the floor and the feeling of his head colliding with the hard surface paling in comparison to the pain in his left arm. His body convulsed in a fit of seizures, and he frothed at the mouth.

The agony he was feeling inside was greater even than the pain King Faust had caused him in Edolas, in his attempts to draw magic from the dragon slayer.

Slowly, a dark tattoo snaked its way up his forearms and burned themselves into his skin, causing a surge in his magic power.

The pattern consisted of intricate swirls of red and black, and was not much unlike the insignia for Fairy Glitter.

Natsu's magic power continued to rise, until his body could not bear it anymore and forced it out of his body, albeit temporarily.

His eyes snapped open, irises glowing red and pupils shaped like slits.

The first burst of magic returned the flow of time to the world, allowing the soldiers who were suspended in mid-air to fall to the ground.

The second burst of magic was a brilliant ring of fire, crimson with black outlines and a black core. It spread outwards from the body of its source, expanding rapidly and incinerating everything in its path. Where there used to be soldiers in mid-fall, there were now skeletons with scorch marks over their pearly-white enamels. The bones fell apart and hit the ground with a resounding clatter that reverberated around the entire room.

The walls were all adorned with black scorch marks, proof of END's awakening.

* * *

Elsewhere, Mard Geer felt a shudder of excitement run down his spine. He may be the king of the underworld, but he could not even begin to compare to the prowess and terror of END.

He felt the familiar sensation of fear that the presence of his Master brought about. He relished, reveled in it.

"Welcome back, Master END."

* * *

Natsu chose to lie on the ground until his pain subsided and his erratic heartbeats calmed down. His muscles had already been aching to begin with, and now they were positively charred. Or at least that's how it felt to him.

While still on the ground, he painstakingly turned his head to the left and twisted his left arm to gaze upon the mark that had burned itself into him. Four words were inscribed into the mark.

_Sinistra calamitatum_

The left arm of calamity. Somehow, he understood the meaning of the words without even knowing the language. Perhaps his knowledge of the language was just slumbering deep within the recesses of his brain.

He puzzled over the meaning of the words for a little longer before a single word popped into his head.

_Destiny. _

'Yes, this must be destiny,' he thought.

'Looks like my destiny's gotta wait though! My nakama need me now, and I'll be damned before I let them down!' he thought with determination and made a tremendous effort to push himself up.

His arms trembled uncontrollably with the effort, and his legs turned to jelly at the worst possible moment. However, he would not let even that stop him. If he had to wobble all the way to his nakama, then so be it! Even if he had to crawl his way to his comrades, he would do it, and nothing would stand in his way.

* * *

Gray felt like crying as the corpse of his long-dead father disintegrated before his eyes and floated with the wind.

He wanted to let himself fall, to let loose his emotions, to hit the ground with his fists until they bled, to let out a cry of anguish and pain. The father he had thought long-dead had returned, only to be his adversary, where he was forced to fight his own father for the sake of his nakama.

Then his father, in a bid to make Gray attack him more readily, pretended to be Deliora. Later, giving up all pretense, Silver Fullbuster decided that his time was getting short, and took the opportunity to convey all the emotions to the son he never got to see grow.

The rollercoaster ride of emotions that Gray went through at that moment would have been enough to send him rolling off into the abyss of insanity.

However, he maintained a sliver of normalcy, knowing that his comrades needed him. Knowing that Natsu would not have given up if he were in this position.

First, Gray felt joy at seeing his father, even if it was going to be the last time he ever got to do so.

Then he felt anger at what his father had had to endure after his death.

Next, he felt anguish at the fact that his father would have to go eventually, no longer belonging in the world of the living.

After, he felt rage. Pure, unadulterated rage at the pain and sorrow that the demons had caused his father and himself.

Lastly, that feeling was replaced by determination. Determination to put an end to all demons, especially END, in place of his father.

His entire body was then overtaken with a bone-crushing pain. He felt like he was going to die, and wanted to scream out in pain. His mental pain and grief overshadowed the physical pain, though.

Gray Fullbuster fell limply to the ground, breathing heavily in ragged breaths. His body twitched in pain that he did not feel. Blood flowed out from the corners of his mouth and he coughed up copious amounts of blood.

His eyes were open, unblinking and unseeing. Then, all of a sudden he snapped back to the world of the living as the pain subsided and warmth spread through his body.

He noticed the mark that had appeared over his right arm.

Ice Demon Slaying Magic.

The weapon that he would use against END. The pattern was slightly similar to that of Fairy Glitter, except that it was dark blue with white outlines.

He read the inscription within the pattern.

_Dextera Salvatio. _

The right arm of salvation. He did not know how he managed to understand the strange language, nor how he obtained the mark.

Though, what he DID know was that this would be his ultimate weapon against END. It would be the mark of his rivalry with END and his destiny to rid the world of the demon.

_Destiny. _

Such a powerful word, yet it was something he could relate to so easily. In fact, he found himself smack in the middle of an unbelievable, remarkable destiny.

At that moment, he felt hatred towards END, coupled with a little pity, although he himself did not understand why.

Why would he feel pity for such a cold-blooded monster? Why would he feel pity for something he was destined to end?

Perhaps the 'cold-blooded monster' did not exactly ask to be this way. Maybe it, too, wanted to be freed, to be liberated from the shackles of sin that bound it to a lifetime of destruction and murder.

A heaving cough interrupted his thoughts as blood surfaced again, gushing out of his mouth. He felt his strength leave him, but stood stubbornly, determined to aid his nakama.

'Heh. Death can wait. I have nakama to help, and demons to slay.'

* * *

For the first time after the war against Tartarus, the rivals saw each other clearly, and the wounds they had each suffered.

Natsu's eyes roved down to Gray's bandaged right arm, and he saw the edges of a tattoo peeking out from underneath them.

His eyes widened. So Gray was destined to something great too, like himself?

He deduced that his rival must be the successor of the right arm of destruction, and for the first time in weeks, his conflicted mind was put at ease.

He did not need to fight END all alone anymore. If all else failed and he succumbed to the monster within him, he had his nakama with him. He had Gray to fight the monster. He had his brother there with him, to help him fight the monster.

His lips slowly curved upwards in a smile.

Despite his beaten up and bruised condition, he lit his fists on fire and swung them at Gray. The ice mage felt his breath get knocked out of him as he flew towards the other end of the guild.

He realized that Natsu was being serious. He realized what his rival of fourteen years was trying to do. He realized that the fire mage was trying to convey using his fists, that which could not be expressed in words.

The entire guild gasped at the sight of the two already-injured mages engaging in a fight that was seemingly more intense than any fight they had had before, and this time it was not for some petty reason.

Erza Scarlet made to separate the two boys and break their fight up, but the Master stopped her.

Makarov Dreyar understood, just by looking at his two brats, that this fight was more than just that. It was something with a deeper meaning to it, and it was something the two needed to resolve on their own. He also knew for a fact that although Fairy Tail was a big family, Natsu and Gray were perhaps the closest to each other, almost like brothers, inseparable even in their quarrels, as much as they denied it. No, this was something they had to sort out for themselves, and so as a caring parent, he would give them the space they needed. He would tolerate the guild's furniture being destroyed, just this once.

Natsu walked to where Gray's body had landed, and continued to deliver punch upon punch to his already battered body, while yelling, "Fight back! Hit me, you fool!"

Gray realized that that punch was meant to say, 'If END took over my body, will you fight me? Will you do me as well as everyone else a favour by killing me?'

He argued with his mind for a while. His brain told him to do what was right, to retaliate. His heart told him that while they were not related by blood, Natsu was like a brother to him.

After a long time, Gray gritted his teeth, and slammed his right fist into his left palm, the signature stance for his Ice Magic.

A pillar of ice erupted from the ground, slamming into Natsu and throwing him into one of the empty tables. Natsu lay where he fell, a serene, sincere smile on his face.

Gray walked over to his rival, making two swords out of his Ice Make Magic. One sword he held to Natsu's throat, and the other he held to his own.

'If I have to, I will kill you, but after that I will join you in the afterworld,' was the message he was trying to convey through his actions.

Natsu frowned. He did want Gray to kill him if need be, but not to end his own life afterwards. He did not want anybody to die for his sake.

"Why?" he croaked out.

"Because that's what brothers do," said Gray with a serious face, making Natsu sigh in resignation and nod his head in agreement.

The entire guild was speechless at the sight before them. The two rivals were openly admitting that they considered the other a brother? It was as though the world had turned upside down.

Needing some time to themselves, Natsu and Gray limped out of the guild, towards the riverbank where the two of them and Erza would go to seek solace when they were in emotional pain.

What they did not expect, though, was for Lucy and Erza to have followed them all the way to the secret spot.

"What was all that about?" demanded Lucy.

"About me losing control of my magic," Natsu lied.

"What?! You could have put all of us in jeopardy then!" exclaimed Lucy with a shudder, which irked Gray.

"Natsu talks about losing his powers, and all you think about is yourself! He could hurt himself, he could die fighting it for all we know! And all you care about is yourself!" retorted Gray heatedly.

"Of course! My life comes before anything else! If Natsu cannot control his magic, then he does not deserve to even be in Fairy Tail!" the blonde screamed.

"Lucy…," growled Erza, furious at the Celestial Mage's true colours.

"You bitch…Natsu was the very one who brought you to Fairy Tail and helped you join, yet you speak so easily of him leaving his home! He has more control and mastery over his magic than you could ever have! He is stronger than you could ever hope to be, and has saved us on many occasions!" yelled Gray.

"He put his life on the line to save you on so many instances: Phantom Lord, Grimoire Heart, so many more! Yet you only care about saving your own skin! Natsu is the life and soul of Fairy Tail, he is its very embodiment! Yet you dare say that he should leave! You disgust me! Get out of my sight!" he continued in a fit of rage and fury matched only by Natsu's Dragon Force.

Another feral, animalistic growl from Erza sent Lucy scampering away in fright.

"How dare she…We've been a family for so long before she arrived. We've stuck together through thick and thin, and have stayed by each other's sides no matter what. We've forged so many memories throughout all these years. And now she dares to come and attempt to disrupt this peace in our lives?" seethe Erza.

Natsu went slack-jawed at his friends' display of kinship towards him. Today he got the two greatest surprises of his life. He got to see Lucy's rotten heart, as well as Erza's and Gray's big, benevolent ones.

"W-why?" he stuttered out, tears pooling in his eyes.

"Because that's what brothers do," said Gray simply, giving the three of them a sense of déja vu.

With that, Natsu's last semblance of self-control broke, and he hugged his brother-figure, sobbing into his shoulder.

Erza smiled at the two brothers, letting them have their moment.

* * *

**Pride: Finally, my brain can rest. When I wrote this story, my thoughts just flowed freely, and my brain automatically coined cool phrases, so I hope this story has turned out as awesome as I think it has. And as for the Lucy-bashing moment, I won't apologise to Lucy fans. It is my right and preference to hate her, and if that irks you, that's just an accomplishment to me. While browsing the latest updated fanfics, I saw too many summaries about Natsu being a man-bitch, making Lucy leave, then she goes and becomes overpowered, and blah blah blah. Seriously? You really think Lucy can do that? Oh ho ho. Very funny. Even Wendy is stronger than Lucy, and there's no denying that. In my view, Lucy is a spoilt brat, which is exactly what I have portrayed her as. I feel as though she is intruding upon the family established within Fairy Tail, and it's not exactly a good thing either. So, sorry about the rant, do drop a review. **

**Adios. **

**Yours truly, Pride. **


End file.
